Everything Has Changed
by x-menobsessed26
Summary: A new marriage law is put into action by the Ministry, sealing Hermione and Ginny's fates with it. Rated M for later chapters, RL/HG, SB/GW
1. Chapter 1

Hermione awoke to the sounds of shouting from what she could only assume was the kitchen downstairs. At least, that's what her inner directional senses told her. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Looking across the room, she saw her best friend, Ginny, doing the same thing.

"What's going on?"

Ginny shrugged tiredly, "In this house? Merlin only knows."

Hermione got out of bed and pushed herself into a new set of clothes for the day, but not without some effort. It may only be a half an hour before she and Ginny were set to rise, but apparently that half an hour makes all the difference.

Ginny groaned and began to follow Hermione's movements. Before long, both were dressed for another day of attempting in vain to clean Grimmauld Place. It was after the war, but for the members of the Order who hadn't been killed, it was still a very real organization.

Twenty-two year old Hermione walked down the stairs, knowing Ginny would soon follow, wondering what in heaven's name could cause such a ruckus. Had Voldemort found a way to return? Was there another mass Azkaban breakout? Had Trelawney made another terrible prophecy?

She knew the kitchen was going to be chaos before she arrived, but what she didn't expect was an all out verbal war. Molly was screaming in rage at Kingsley, the new Minister for Magic, Arthur was attempting to restore order along with Remus while it was futile, Sirius was in a shouting match with Ron and Harry, the Weasley brothers were a mess, and everyone else looked on helplessly.

"What's going on here?"

Miraculously, all talking ceased. Everyone looked at Hermione with fearful eyes. It shocked her and she repeated her question.

Minerva was the first to recover from her hesitation, "There has been a new development with the post-war laws with the Ministry. It seems they've found a loophole and have taken every measure to put a certain law into place without letting anyone, especially our new Minister, know what was happening."

"What sort of law?" Ginny asked, joining Hermione's side.

Harry looked at his ex-girlfriend in sympathy, "A marriage law."

Both girls were confused and it clearly showed on their faces because he motioned for them to sit and read two newspapers that had been tossed their direction. Hermione found herself afraid to read what was coming, knowing that if they were this upset about it, it couldn't be good. The Daily Prophet in front of her looked as if it was taunting her to read it, and she couldn't help but comply.

_The Wizengamot has come to a decision that a marriage law is essential in the survival of the wizarding race, and also a fantastic opportunity to conduct a final experiment on the effects of blood status on magic ability. Details of the law can be found on page 09._

Hermione quickly opened the newspaper and rushed to the section it was talking about. What she found made her stomach turn.

_These are the rules of the law. Anyone who is found to break this law will be sentenced to time served in Azkaban decided upon in a hearing. Anyone found attempting to flee the country in order to prevent themselves from having to abide by this law will be sentenced to five years minimum in Azkaban. If you wish to leave the country, you must go through the Department of International Wizarding Affairs._

_The rules of the law are as follows :_

_All witches ages 18 - 33 must marry. No exceptions._

_Each couple will be expected to conceive a child within the next three years. If a witch is found to be incapable of bearing a child, she will be paired with a wizard who is also incapable and who meets the following requirements, despite any previous relationship. If a suitable partner cannot be found, that person may be banned from ever marrying._

_Werewolves and veela are _NOT_ exempt from this law. They must abide by the same rules as "normal" witches and wizards._

_Sexual intercourse will not be closely monitored, but it is required that within the first year of marriage, a couple must at least copulate their union once. A spell will be placed upon each couple at their marriage ceremony to ensure this._

_Partners will be assigned if one is not chosen a week from today. They will be assigned via letter by owl._

_The pairings must be as follows : _

_Pure-blooded witches may only pair themselves with other pure-bloods and half-bloods, but the half-blood and them must have proof of a previously existing relationship. The two pure-bloods must bring a family tree with them for verification of blood status._

_Half-blooded witches may only pair themselves with other half-bloods, muggleborns, and purebloods, with proof of pre-existing relationships._

_Muggleborns may only pair with other muggleborns and half-bloods. No exceptions._

_As a word of advice from the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, Claire Standish, use this coming week wisely. The pairings you will receive by owl are final and cannot be changed except in special circumstance._

Hermione looked up with tears in her chocolate eyes, "Why is this newspaper dated a week ago?"

She already knew the answer.

**In case you haven't figured it out from the description, yes this story will contain RemusxHermione and SiriusxGinny. Hell, this story is written ABOUT the two of them. ;) I hope you will enjoy this story as much as I do and please leave a review telling me what you think. ****I know it's a short first chapter, but that's a lot of information for under 1,000 words.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you all for the support so far! I didn't expect so much so fast!**

At least everyone involved had the audacity to look sheepish as her tears spilled over. A few even looked guilty.

When Ginny finished reading almost a minute after Hermione, she quickly and loudly fumbled with the pages to get to the front, just to make sure that the date of the paper was, indeed, from a week ago. The redhead looked at Hermione, her brown eyes scared and wary, "Hermione?"

The brunette shook her bushy head, ignoring her friend for the moment, "What does that mean?"

"It means we were stupid and we're already too late," Kingsley announced with his deep voice.

"NO!" Hermione shouted, more tears falling freely down her distressed face. "No, it can't be! That would mean that...oh, Merlin!"

Sirius slid a letter down to stop right in front of her, the Ministry seal already popped up and clearly read. Ginny wasn't given her's quite yet.

Gingerly, Hermione picked up the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Ms. Hermione Granger,_

_We are sorry to see that you have failed to choose a partner and contact the Ministry within the given time. Your failure to comply with the Ministry rules has left us with no choice but to assign you a partner at this time. _

_You will be required to meet with a Ministry official for the Department of Magical Marriages within one week of receiving the letter or you will be sentenced to time in Azkaban. Your assigned partner MUST be in attendance with you at the time of the meeting or the same consequence will result. If your partner shows that he is not willing to marry you in the meeting, you will be assigned to a new partner and a new week will begin._

_Your partner for life is :_

_**Remus John Lupin**_

_Regards,_

_Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic _

_Claire Standish_

Her wide eyes looked around at the faces of the Order with disbelief and hope for it all to be a joke. The growing amount of guilt on each of theirs showed that it wasn't. She didn't dare look at Remus.

Sirius, who was the other she couldn't look at, shoved another letter her way, but this time it was Ginny's. Hermione opened it, Ginny too afraid to look herself and would rather look at her best friend's face as she did.

Hermione's eyes skipped the same generic body of the letter and skipped straight for the last bit.

_Your partner for life is : _

_**Sirius Orion Black**_

When Hermione finished reading, she looked Ginny in the eyes and shook her head. That was all Ginny needed to see as she promptly began to cry. Crying was something neither girl, woman really, tried to do in public, but they both believed that in this circumstance, crying could be understood.

Kingsley cleared his throat, "I'm truly sorry. There is nothing I can do at this point, but-"

"we will try everything in our power to make sure this law doesn't affect anyone else," Minerva interrupted, shooting a glare at the new Minister, clearly telling him not to make promises he couldn't rightly keep. "Unfortunately, after you two are married, there's no way out. The bonds they are now using are permanent, and divorce was decreed three days ago to be illegal."

Hermione looked at the Headmistress and nodded. Harry stood and motioned for people to follow. It wasn't hard to tell which ones he was motioning to stay and which ones to go. Just before he walked out of the kitchen, he shot Remus and Sirius both glares which they cringed at. Before long, the only people left in the kitchen were a crying Ginny, an almost crying Hermione, a heavy hearted Remus, and confused Sirius.

After a moment, Hermione put her arm around her best friend and tried to soothe her back to normal. It didn't take long and Ginny was transitioning from sad to mad. She jumped up and pointed her hazel wand at her future husband's chest. None of the others in the room thought much of the display and didn't do anything to discourage her attempt of hurting one of the last surviving Marauders.

Hermione grabbed the end of Ginny's wand and pulled it from her shaking hand, "Not now Gin. They didn't have any control over this."

"They could have told us," she growled in fury. "They should have told us."

Hermione turned slowly and calmly to look at the two men for the first time, folded her hands, and asked, "Yes, why didn't you tell us?"

Sensing that an outburst was going to get her nowhere, Ginny complied to sit down and listen to the conversation. Remus sighed and replied, "We thought we could have found a loophole and gotten the law thrown out."

"Within a _week?_" Ginny scoffed.

Hermione raised a brow, "She has a point. If you would have told us, we could have attempted to find someone else in time and then you could have done your work without the added pressure of time constraints."

Sirius laughed, a harsh, cutting sound, "And who exactly would you have gotten to marry you? All of your friends have their own relationships."

"I'm sure I could have found someone better than _you_," Ginny snarled.

"Obviously not. I don't see anyone on your arm currently."

"I haven't even tried yet."

Hermione shot her friend a pleading look, "Gin, please."

"Sirius, calm down," Remus said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

After a moment, Remus and Hermione shared a look and nodded. Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and began pulling her from the room before the betrothed decided to hex it out. Remus and Hermione knew by their nightly rituals that they would find themselves together in either the library or the kitchen that night. It was a nearly an established order.

_What an interesting meeting this will be! _Hermione thought, dragging the still fuming Ginny upstairs.

**I'm craving sugar and reviews are my candy. Please give me one. =)**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione padded across the old floors as silently as she could, hoping she wouldn't wake Ginny, who had just fallen asleep after long hours of screaming. She was sure the poor girl would have no voice in the morning.

She made her way into the kitchen, hoping the boys hadn't eaten all of the food again, and saw her own future husband sitting at the table with a sandwich across from him. She couldn't help but smile. It was just part of the ritual. Whoever got there first made something for the other.

She sat down, smile now gone, and began to eat it. It was then that she realized she hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was nearly midnight. Remus gave her a small smile, "I promise you I wouldn't do this if-"

She held up her hand, swallowing politely before speaking, "I know. I'm not too thrilled about this either."

He laughed a bit, but sounded genuinely hurt, "I'm not that bad, honestly."

"Oh, I'm sure, especially when compared to your best friend," Hermione winked, showing that she meant no harm by her words. "I'm just not thrilled of the prospects of being married so young and having my husband be my ex-professor."

"I promise I will attempt to make this as painless as possible," he sighed. "You're not the only one who isn't very thrilled. The prospect of having to marry my ex-student who is possibly one of the brightest people I've ever known and can do anything she wants who also happens to be nearly twenty years my junior...well, it's a little intimidating."

Feeling a bit embarrassed by his praise, she attempted to deflect attention. It was a feat that didn't go unnoticed, but it amused rather than insulted the mature lycanthrope, "How is Sirius taking this?"

"He's annoyed. He's already had most of his life wasted in a cell in one of the worst places a human being can be set to endure, and now he's being forced to marry. Marriage was something I know he'd never thought he'd have. That was always James and I. Sirius was the reckless bachelor and now that's being taken away from him."

Hermione groaned, "Ginny is the same way. After everything with Harry, she realized it would just be much easier to stay single. She loathes marriage. The idea of it in the same sentence as her makes her sick."

"Looks like this is going to be a bit interesting."

She smiled, "Indeed. When do you want to go and meet with the Ministry?"

"As soon as possible, if it's alright with you. I managed to convince Sirius to do the same if Ginny is willing."

She nodded, "I believe I can help with that."

He grinned, "Of that I have no doubt."

"Is tomorrow okay with you?"

"Tomorrow sounds perfect."

* * *

The key word in Remus' sentence had been 'sounds'. It ended up starting out as a disaster as Ginny nearly refused to be anywhere near Sirius, offending him as she had previously had no problem with him, causing yet another fight.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder if Remus' time at Hogwarts had been similar to hers, playing mediator for at least one of her friends at all times. It got really old after a while.

They were now sitting in a stuffy office, showing the official with them with their glares exactly how unhappy they were about the circumstances.

"Good morning. My name is Franciskus Mousseau," a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair said after sitting in a plush chair. "The main basis of this meeting is to ensure that you both know the rules and regulations of this arrangement and that the wizard in question, you Mr. Lupin, aren't against being placed with Ms. Granger."

They both nodded in annoyance, waiting for him to get on with it, which he thankfully did, "Now, let's start with the most basic of rules. Ms. Granger, you were born when?"

She nearly rolled her eyes. Yes, because my largest wish in life is to pretend to be young enough to apply to a marriage law, "September 19th, 1979."

"So, as of today's date, you are 22, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excluding aged gained by the use of the time-turner, which puts you at the rough range of 23-24, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

The wizard made a note on what looked like a stack of files about her, which made her shift in her seat. To think that they had that much information..."Now, onto another basic piece. Ms. Granger, should you decide to attempt and evade the Ministry's rule by having Mr. Lupin bite you, I know you two have a certain friendship, you would still be subject to the law. Werewolves are not excluded from this law.

"I also feel like should warn you now. The Ministry is debating on whether to extend this law to apply to witches AND wizards of a newly expanded age group. Mr. Lupin, you would fall into that category. I urge you to find the safest way out of this as possible.

"Also, the more generalized goal of this law is to study the children provided by these marriages so there are laws demanding you have children. I have scheduled a physical for you, Ms. Granger, for two days from now, just to make sure everything will work as it should.

"You cannot marry until everything is approved by the Ministry, and yes, I understand how redundant that is, but you are urged to marry as soon as possible. I would personally recommend next week at the latest. That way, you both are safe from this. Ms. Granger, the media is going to be looking to you for an example of what to do at this time. You are the only girl of the Golden Trio. You must participate with this!

"If you wish to exit out of this marriage proposal, Mr. Lupin, you may take the staircase at the far right at the end of the hall, go up one floor, and look for Room 612J. Do you have any questions before I dismiss you?" Franciskus asked with a stamp held above Hermione's file.

Hermione shook her head and Remus gave him an affirming look. The bright red stamp came down upon the paper and that was all. They walked out and walked side-by-side back to the floo network, "Do you wish to go to...whichever room it was?"

"I don't think it would be the best idea," Remus said softly. "Many of the Death Eaters had children, even if they weren't widely known for their protection. It would be a devastating blow to both the Order and my friendship with you if you were set up with one."

Hermione looked at Remus, startled, "Do you think Sirius understands the same thing?"

"I explained it to him last night. Don't worry, we won't let you down."

She looked at her feet as they approached a fireplace, "I'm very sorry about this."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her off to the side, away from anyone's line of sight other than his own, "Don't you dare start thinking you are a problem here, Hermione. You feeling sorry for yourself isn't what we need right now. If you feel bad because you feel like you're stopping me from a real marriage later in life, you're wrong. It's you I feel sorry for. I am a werewolf, Hermione, and have no real chance of marriage with anyone. Ever. Understand?"

She slapped him hard across the face, "How dare you tell me I'm not allowed to wallow in self-pity when you live the same bloody way?"

She stomped her way over to a fireplace and shouted, "Grimmauld Place library."

Remus rubbed his left cheek with a small smirk, wondering exactly, not for the first time, he was getting into.

* * *

She arrived in a rush of jade flame remnants and fury, so it was just her luck that her two best guy friends decided to attempt an adult conversation when she returned. It was never pretty.

They were waiting for her in the library where Hermione had just appeared, pretending to read books she knew, at least in Ron's case, were too advanced and boring for someone of their level, "What do you two want?"

"We wanted to speak with you about this whole marriage thing," Harry said, motioning for her to sit down on the couch.

Ron slammed the book down and looked at her with such an intensity, she first thought he was glaring at her, "Hermione, what are you doing? Are you really going to marry Remus?"

She felt herself growing defensive, "What's wrong with him?"

He looked hurt, "Hermione, he's a werewolf. Your name would be tainted with his curse. You would practically become his prisoner!"

She scoffed, "Ronald, that's ridiculous. What would your mother say if she heard you talking about him like this? He's our friend. Have you forgotten, once again, the exact definition of that word?"

"No, I haven't forgotten," he growled. "Just like I haven't forgotten what that same damned curse has done to my brother, and he doesn't even have it in full."

"Fleur doesn't care about Bill's condition!"

"Yes, but they actually love each other."

Hermione gaped at him in shock and grimaced with the implication of his words. She knew he was right. She wasn't in love with Remus and his name would hurt hers, but why did that matter? "Would you rather see me in Azkaban?"

"Of course not," Harry announced, while Ron looked like he wanted to say just the opposite. "You know we love you."

"Not enough to take Remus' or Sirius' places, eh?"

Harry laughed, "Nah, I think I'll stick to Luna, thank you. I would have, though, if it would have come down to it."

She sighed, "I know you would have, Harry."

Ron groaned, "I would have too, but with Parvati just losing her sister and now this law, I couldn't exactly abandon her."

"I know, Ron, and I would never ask you to. I know you love her."

Harry smiled sadly, "I just hope you two end up happy somehow."

Hermione burst into laughter and through her giggles she managed to say, "Don't worry about Remus and me, Harry. I think it's your godfather and ex-girlfriend you should be worried about."

His face paled.

**I apologize for this update being late, but I've had a lot of work to do lately. I'll try to get the next chapter out later this week, but no guarantees.**

**I'm also going to try to start posting more sneak peek stuff on my Facebook page when I get the chance [link on profile]. Twitter is...a failure. I'm shutting it down.**

**Next chapter : the men and women talk, Hermione has her physical, and the weddings are planned**


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione nearly dropped her book when she heard the feet pounding up the stairs accompanied with familiar shrieks and accusations. She groaned as she put it on her bedside table and stretched her muscles, preparing for what was to come.

"Your face looks like it caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with a fork!" Ginny screeched.

Hermione was stunned as to why she would be yelling something at her, but then Sirius shouted back, "If you were twice as smart, you'd still be stupid."

"SHUT UP! You'll never be the man your mother was."

Silence filled the house as Ginny stood in the doorway, fuming, waiting for his next attack. Just when she thought he was going to come up the stairs to kill her best friend, Hermione heard roaring laughter from downstairs. She couldn't help but join in as she remembered Mrs. Black's portrait.

"You win this round, Weasley," she heard him chuckle from down the stairs.

"I'd better have," she whispered menacingly under her breath as she turned to finally face her best friend.

Hermione smirked at her, "Trouble with the husband?"

"Husband my fantastic arse," Ginny scoffed as she collapsed onto her bed. "Why in Merlin's name did this have to happen to me? I mean, I didn't even want to get married in the first place, but with the husband being Sirius? Could it get any worse?"

"Gregory Goyle? Draco Malfoy? Mundungus Fletcher? Sturgis Podmore? Lee Jordan?" Hermione listed off, knowing each one was another verbal slap to the face of her insensitive friend.

"I see your point, but still. I don't want to be married!" she screeched.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm not too happy about having to marry my ex-professor, either, but I have to do it. If you want to know why, just go ask your designated husband about the twelve years of his life after two of his friends were killed."

She flinched, "I forgot it was Remus you were marrying."

"Clearly," Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ginny sat down next to Hermione, "What do you think about this whole thing?"

Hermione gave her a look, "Are you serious?"

"Not yet, but soon enough I will be Mrs. Sirius," she winked.

Hermione snorted, "Maybe you two will be good together after all."

"The only thing good we will do together is make love. I've heard he's a wild lover."

Hermione laughed. That was one image she hadn't needed to visualize, but it was quite hilarious when she did.

[BREAK]

"Why must you aggravate her even more? Can't you imagine what this feels like to her?" Remus asked, rubbing his temples.

Sirius glared at him, "Feels like to her? What about me?! I wasted away in a cell in Azkaban for twelve years, and now I have to get..."

"Married. You can say it, Padfoot. The word won't kill you."

"Doing it might," he mumbled.

"What's that?"

"Nothing!"

Remus chuckled, "Nothing my sometimes fuzzy arse! Now, tell me!"

Sirius laughed, "You're like a first year. I swear, sometimes it's almost as if you took lessons from James."

The name of their deceased friend sobered them quite fast. They stared at the ground for a moment before looking at each other. Sirius asked, "Will it ever get easier to say his name?"

"Only if we actually start talking about it," Remus sighed.

Sirius grinned again, "If you're telling me to grow up about marriage, does that mean you're okay with having to marry Hermione."

Remus grunted disapprovingly, "Only to keep her safe, Pads. I respect her. Even you can't deny that she's bloody brilliant! Besides, it's not like I was going to get married anyway, and I'm not exactly living up the single scene myself. I have nothing to stop me."

"Except that she used to be your student. She's also Harry's best friend."

Remus sighed and ran a hand over his face, "He can't be taking this well."

"Well, we're not exactly sunshine and pixies ourselves," Sirius pointed out. "Besides, I think he's more disgusted with you having to marry Hermione than being angry with me marrying his ex."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows, "How can that be?"

Sirius regarded him sadly, his grey eyes bringing down the mood faster than a buzzing snitch, "I may be the kid's godfather, but we all know that he really looked to you like the father figure. I'm more like the awkward uncle who likes to have fun."

"Be that as it may, he's not very happy with either of us. I don't think it just has to do with our parental positions in his life. We should probably talk to him."

"Preferably without Ron present. That boy has a head full of rocks impervious to logic. I nearly lost my voice screaming as much at him."

They shared a laugh as the girls came down the stairs.

Hermione looked at them both for a moment, Ginny walking toward the door uncaring, and asked, "How much do you two care about the details of the wedding?"

They shared a look and Remus answered, "We hadn't really thought much about it."

Ginny snorted, "What a surprise."

A million red hot retorts popped up on Sirius' tongue, but he choked them back after an apologetic glance from Hermione. There was no reason he could think of to make her angry. He actually liked Hermione. Instead, he just sat in silence.

Remus ignored her and told Hermione, "As long as it's not a big wedding, I could care less what you decide."

Hermione looked at Sirius and he shrugged, "Make it big. I've got the enough of the Ministry's monetary compensation to cover it."

She gave him a nod, looked at Ginny, and walked out. Ginny's brown eyes glared at him, "You know, I thank you both for saving Hermione and I from the former Death Eaters because of this law, but...you know what I can't stand about the both of you? How much pity you both seek! At least Remus has enough respect for himself to do it discreetly, not to mention how he was actually beginning to understand that we don't hate him because he's a werewolf. You, Sirius, make me physically ill. Do you think you're the only one who's had a rough life?"

He held up his hand, "Before you finish your rant, may I remind you where I spent-"

"Twelve years of your life. I know. That's my point. We all know. The whole bloody world knows. Give it a rest already and use the years you've got here, outside of Azkaban, to do something," and with a flick of her red hair over her shoulder, she stomped out.

Remus gave his friend a sidelong glance, "She has a point."

"I know," Sirius growled. "That's the problem."

The werewolf just smiled.

[BREAK]

"What colors do you think?" Ginny asked, sitting on a box of veils.

Her bushy haired friend ran her hands through her hair, "I don't know. Strapless or not?"

"Whatever you want."

She groaned and fell back into a mountain of fabric, "Why is this so difficult?"

Ginny laughed, "Was it supposed to be easy?"

"I guess not. Nothing is ever easy when it comes to us. Still, it would have been nice," Hermione sighed.

"Would you two like anything?" Fleur Weasley asked, coming in to see her sister-in-law and her friend.

Hermione shook her head, "No thank you. I think we're going to head home, actually. We've done enough work for today."

Fleur laughed, a musical sound, and nodded, knowing they didn't get anything done. After all, that was her job. She'd enjoyed her wedding so much, she'd decided to make a living helping people have weddings close to the amazing affair she'd had.

She only hoped those two could work it out.

Yeah...I hate this chapter. I'm beginning to hate this story, but I promise I will continue until it is done. I won't abandon it.

Next chapter : they get married...both of them


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